Talk Like A Pirate 2018 Facts, History: Free Twinkies To Celebrate

Arr! It’s International Talk Like A Pirate Day! On Wednesday, put on that eye patch, throw on that head bandana, grab a parrot (preferably not a real one) and get ready to let your inner pirate out.

Two men — John Baur and Mark Summers, also known as Ol' Chumbucket and Cap'n Slappy, respectively, or The Pirate Guys — created the day back in 1995, encouraging people to flood social media with “arrs” and “me hearties” and dress up as their favorite pirate characters to mark the occasion, NBC-affiliated WPXI reported.

But why choose Sept. 19? Summers explained in a 2009 interview he had recently gotten divorced back in the day and Sept. 19 was his ex-wife's birthday, and he figured "the date was stuck in my head, and I wasn't going to do anything with it anymore.”

While the Talk Like A Pirate Day was initially celebrated nationally, the idea soon went viral and in 2002, it was first celebrated on an international scale – something that Baur admitted in an email written to his close friends Sept. 19, 2002, the pirate guys had never expected will happen.

“So anyway, Talk Like A Pirate Day has been a HUGE success, far bigger than anything Mark and I ever imagined. We imagined we’d have our 15 minutes of fame. As my close personal friend Dave said, “This thing may be big. Maybe 20 minutes.” I am looking forward to the day when they put up a plaque at racquetball court No. 3 at the Albany YMCA, where Mark and I first came up with this idea. As I told my daughter Millie’s fifth grade class this morning, this is one of the silliest things I’ve ever done, but it’s been fun, and we’ve just been riding the wave ever since,” the email said.

Here are a few things to do this year as you celebrate Talk Like A Pirate Day:

Book-Reading, Other Amusements

Although real-life pirates were not known to be bookworms, if you are one, you can always head to Covington, Los Angeles, for a fun session with Baur.

“I’ll be at the 2nd & Charles Bookstore in Covington, LA, at 6 p.m. I’ll read, sing, do a bit of pirate schtick, and whatever else I can to draw and amuse a crowd. I’ll read from my YA pirate adventure novel, “Chrissie Warren: Pirate Hunter,” the website run by the Pirate Guys read.

No Free Donuts, But Free Twinkies!

Although Krispy Kreme participated in the buzz surrounding Talk Like A Pirate Day 2016, giving away a free doughnut to those who talked the talk and a free dozen for those in full pirate regalia, the offer did not exist last year and the same goes for this year.

But don’t worry, Long John Silver’s has you covered. The fast food outlet is offering a free deep fried Twinkie to those who talk like a pirate and those who are willing to go the extra mile and dress up in complete pirate getup can earn a free Fish N’ Fry, Orlando Sentinel reported.

Visit The Aquarium

If you are looking for a more laid-back way to celebrate the holiday, head over to the New York Aquarium. Pirates, albeit illegal, were creatures of the sea and a visit to the aquarium lets you view the many residents of the same realm and get a real feel of being sea farer without having to get on a boat.